10 Ways Watches Have Evolved

The Cartier Santos Watch during The 100th Anniversary of The Cartier Santos Watch 1904 - 2004 held at The Lexington Avenue Armory in New York, New York. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images)

In 1904, Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont needed a hands-free way to time his daring performances, so he asked Cartier to come up with something suitable for a pioneering flyboy like himself. Cartier not only created the first proper wristwatch -- it became the basic blueprint for wristwatches ever after. It was designed for the left wrist, with "horns" to hold the strap to the case, a winding stem on the right of the case, and a clasp to hold it on rather than being a slip-on bracelet style like those girly wristlets. Oh, and it had a minute hand. This model was naturally called the Santos, and it went on sale for normal, earth-bound humans in 1904.